Arya Stark - enemy of sexism

Fragment of the book “Game of Thrones” and Psychology: the soul is dark and full of horrors ”

Some blame the “game of thrones” that it promotes violence and objectivation, others, on the contrary, are convinced that this series is opposed to sexism. Gorky publishes a fragment of the book “Game of Thrones” and Psychology: the soul is dark and full of horrors ”, which in March should be published at the Publishing House of Alpine Plisher.

One of the ubiquitous prejudices both in fictional worlds and in reality is the idea of ​​the subordinate position of women. The Game of Thrones depicts a harsh world with obsolete gender standards, where women are very much look at the movable property and treat them as with lower creatures. This state of affairs, of course, looks disgusting from the standpoint of modern morality and developed social norms, which leads to numerous disputes among fans of books and television series. None of the scenes of the latter caused such a wave of protests as the brutal rape of Sansa Stark. Some spectators stated that they are stopping watching a series that promotes violence against women and their sexual objectivation. Others praised the series for the bright image of feminist characters that consistently opposed sexism, and this episode was nominated for the Emmy television Award. Why were the views on the same fictional world so sharply divided so sharply? Psychologists can shed light on a flashed discussion, offering different types of sexism and the causes that determine individual reactions to each of them. These factors allow you to understand how the “game of thrones” inspires the audience to hot disputes.

Sexism

Social psychologists are trying to understand how society changes us as individuals and, conversely, how individuals affect society, both in the best and the worst manifestations of human relationships. Thus, social psychologists study at the same time manifestations of human instincts in relation to the social good (including love, cooperation and altruism) and social evil (including aggression, hatred and prejudice). Alas, the history of mankind for millennia constantly and everywhere demonstrates the danger of stereotypes, prejudices and discrimination.

Sexism in the general plan implies biased thoughts, attitude or behavior based on the individual’s belonging to the biological sex (man, woman, intersexual, etc.) or outwardly manifested gender (how masculino or femino the individual looks). At the cultural level in Westeros, sexism reigns undividedly. The heads of families, rulers of land and states are usually men. Women, on the contrary, play mainly the traditional roles of wives, maids and prostitutes. Rich women wear tightly tightened dresses and spend time creating complex hairstyles; Poor women are engaged in cleaning and trying to nurse their young children.

In addition to sexism at the culture level, psychologists study sexism at an individual level, including how people react to manifestations of sexism in everyday life. For example, a thorough study of women's reaction to sexism revealed what types of women respond to sexism actively and openly, and which simply ignore it. Based on the data obtained, you can analyze and understand the characters of the “Game of Thrones”: how they react or silent. Young women who participated in the experiment believed that it concerns decision making. They were introduced into groups along with three other students and given the task to determine which people from the proposed list are best suited to create a new civilization on a remote uninhabited island. In fact, besides these women, one by the group, all the rest were researchers who only portrayed the participants in the experiment. During a group discussion, a member of the man released several sexist comments, for example, that the islanders do not need a professional cook, because one of the women can prepare, but he certainly needs a sports coach so that women on the island remain “in shape”.

The results showed that only 16 % of women participating in the experiment openly objected to a sexist commentary. Most of them either reacted indirectly (with a murmur or sarcasm), or did not react at all. Who reacted actively? Three criteria were identified, the correspondence of which increased the probability of an open performance. Firstly, these were women who outlined their anti-secondary views in a survey spent a few weeks earlier. Secondly, women who identified themselves as active feminists (although the word “feminist” was not used). And thirdly, the woman was more likely to speak out against a sexist remark, if she turned out to be the only woman in the group. This result may seem amazing: shouldn't women more actively resist sexism when there are other women who can provide support nearby? But no, in this case, the probability of an active reaction decreased. This is because the presence of others creates a diffusion of responsibility: the feeling that you do not need to act because others can do it instead of you. When the individual is alone - or at least he believes that he is one - he takes on all responsibility and begins to act with a greater probability. With the dominance of sexism, which exists in the “Game of Thrones”, which characters stand on their protection and defending women as a whole?

Sexism regarding men?

What about the bias to men? The same psychologists who studied hostile and friendly sexism against women created a parallel scale of sexism against men. Friendly sexism in relation to men includes attitudes that men are braver and selfless than women and that a woman cannot be truly happy if she does not have a husband who would provide her. Hostile sexism in relation to men is based on the beliefs that men are sexually immoral, immature and always seek and dominate women in everything.

Are there any examples of sexism in relation to men in the "Game of Thrones"? The generally accepted attitudes that only men should serve in the night patrol and be warriors are certainly friendly sexism, because it is assumed that all men are good in these roles and strive to fulfill them. A man who does not correspond to the specified expectations receives a stamp of a coward. Examples of hostile sexism are provided by characters such as Cersei and Melisandra. Their actions often indicate contempt for men and the belief that a man can be entrusted with power only when a woman chosen and controls him.

Struggle against friendly sexism

“Women should be treated like princesses”, “it is better to see women and girls, but not to hear”, “Girls are virgin angels who dream of becoming mothers and cooked over the little angels, preparing to meet the husband as best as possible when he returns home after a hard working day ...”

Such opinions serve as examples of the main postulates what social psychologists call friendly sexism. Friendly sexism consists of three main components.

1. Protective paternalism is an ideology according to which "men, since they have more power, capabilities and more physically, must protect and provide women." Of course, it follows that women cannot protect and provide themselves.

2. Friendly sexism represents women in an idealistic light, beautiful and fragile creatures, thereby undermining the progress achieved thanks to feminism and reliably holding women on passive and minor roles.

3. A friendly sexism implies that all women are heterosexual, and to acquire husband and children is the main goal of their life. In fact, friendly sexism locks a woman in a gilded cage of feminine attitudes and restrictions.

The ambivalent sexism questionnaire was designed specifically to measure friendly sexism.

Answering questions, people honestly evaluate how much they agree with such statements as “women should receive care and protection from men” or “women in comparison with men as a whole are more cultural, they have a more subtle taste.”

Arya Stark almost from birth resisted the manifestations of friendly sexism. She often demonstrates the first of the characteristics mentioned in the above study: antisecoxist beliefs. She cringes when she is compared with her older sister Sansa. Arya understands that in comparison with the beautiful and tender Sansa, she is an unattractive savage, and this will not allow her to take a worthy place in society, since she is considered non -divided. Friendly sexism spoils her childhood: Arya is taught needlework and other traditional female activities, but do not allow to learn how to handle weapons - both are designed to educate the “true Lady of the North” from it.

Arya rejects the imposed installations and acquires a second characteristic identified in the study: active feminism. For example, she calls her fuel-wolf nimeria in honor of the legendary warrior woman. When John, Arya's half -brother, gives her a sword, they give him the name “Needle”, mockery of the sewing needles that Arya hates. She often protests against the injustice of the strong, coming with the weak as they want. Arya consistently struggles with friendly sexism, living as masculine life as possible, rejecting her female role and pretending to be a boy. She breaks up to hug her first teacher of fencing when he says to her: “A boy, a girl ... You are a sword. That's all. " Arya rejects gender attitudes and their sexist aspects.

She lives in accordance with the internal code of feminism. Perhaps it was precisely the attempts of parents to force Arya to submit to the cultural norms for women that she perceives people from the standpoint of equality, regardless of their nobility and vice, and judges friends and enemies by whether they respect her with respect. While still a child, Arya in a conversation with her father discovered inequality between boys and girls, between men and women.

“Arya tilted her head to one side.

- Can I become a king adviser, build castles or become a supreme septon?

“You,” Ned answered, kissing her forehead, “you will marry the king and will rule his castle, and your sons will become knights, princes, lords, maybe the Supreme Septon will be among them.”

Arya grimaced.

“No,” she said.

With her way of life, she constantly challenges good -wing sexism at a higher level, as she always tries to defend justice. Arya escaped from the gilded cage of the rules dictating what she should do and what to be. This character is the strongest example of a feminist who purposefully rejects the social attitude of “be true lady” as an empty waste of time and mind. Remember, the study showed that among the qualities of those who confront sexism, the last was the feeling that the woman should be repulsed, because there is no one else. Arya meets the first two criteria, but does she feel lonely? Throughout most of the story, Arya is alone, since her family and friends continue to die. Arya is not insured by diffusion of responsibility; She must act herself.

Translation by Anna Kitaeva

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Russian scientists came up with a similar project in something: here is the report on the conference in Moscow on the “Game of Thrones” .

And here you can read about the book about science in the world of "Game of Thrones".